Months of Formula 1 installation begins, Las Vegas businesses remain skeptical of altered schedule

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — If the lighting stanchions along Harmon are not indication enough, the limelight is moving back onto the Las Vegas Strip as it transforms into a race circuit again.

The circuit set-up spanned roughly half of 2023 and ended with litigation against Clark County and F1. Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP) operators have promised a shorter and less intrusive build-out for the second race this year.

That’s detailed in the transportation management plan LVGP submitted to Clark County in May that 8 News Now first reported was publicly revealed in late Aug. Crews are directed to tackle sections of the circuit at a time, instead of the “hopscotch” method the grand prix project manager said was seen during the inaugural year.

Las Vegas Boulevard at Harmon is the start and end of installation. Crews began installing lighting stanchions on Monday night before progressing towards the pit building and around the rest of the nearly four-mile circuit.

Lori Nelson-Kraft, LVGP’s senior vice president of corporate affairs, said this year’s approach aims to deflect from last year’s actions which were made worse by months of underground utility and repaving work that is not required in 2024.

“Overall, you are seeing a condensed set-up and dismantling schedule, you are seeing a majority of the work taking place in the overnight hours and then any lane reductions overnight reopen in the morning,” Nelson-Kraft said. “We took a lot of the feedback. We listened.”

This work extends through the Nov. racing week before dismantling, which is slated to begin the morning after the Nov. 23, race and through Dec.

Businesses, like Las Vegas Souvenirs & Gifts, claimed severe revenue loss from the inaugural race. They blamed construction and temporary structures that cut off access to their stores.

Jimmy Singh, owner of a gift shop, welcomes the altered schedule but also said he is keeping his inventory low in case customer flow this year looks like the last.

“When they block everything, nobody knows where [they] need to enter,” Singh said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s one week, one month, three months. Still, it’s like, I’m losing my business.”

After the first race, Clark County created an after-event report that detailed internal operational struggles by county departments because of F1 operators. That included frequently missing deadlines or starting construction before necessary permits were issued.

Clark County Commissioners have indicated that has not been the experience thus far , while LVGP says it is both physically and operationally on track.

This website has been created for those who frequently traverse areas of the circuit as a way to prepare for potential traffic impacts on their daily commute.

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